Kim Hee-sun to Return to TV After 6-Year Hiatus

Kim Hee-sun

Actress Kim Hee-sun is returning to TV after a six-year hiatus to star in the upcoming SBS drama "Faith," which is scheduled to be aired in mid-August. In the drama, Kim plays the role of a plastic surgeon who is abducted by a warrior, played by heartthrob Lee Min-ho, and taken back 700 years in time to his era.

The Chosun Ilbo interviewed Kim about her decision to return to TV and her future plans.

"Before I got married [in 2007], I often found myself spending whole weeks in front of the cameras filming TV dramas and commercials, without even having enough time to properly study the roles I was playing," she recalled. "So there was a lot of criticism of my poor acting skills, and I decided to take a break. I wanted to seek out roles that I liked and take part in projects that I thought were more meaningful."

She said that as her daughter was born in January 2009, she now has more time to focus on other things and get her career back on track.

"I found that I had more time to watch TV dramas by myself, after my husband went to work and my daughter went to kindergarten. And I suddenly got this feeling that I could succeed in those kinds of roles. Then I received a phone call from several agencies asking me if I wanted to appear in a drama, so the timing was perfect."

On her future plans, she said, "I think I was too wrapped up in the glitz and glamour of being a celebrity before, but now I want to focus on becoming a more skilled actress."

"I also used to be too preoccupied with worrying about what other people thought of me, so I refrained from expressing my true feelings. But now I want to show more of myself. I hope I can play some villainous characters, which I have yet to do."